Danny Weber
22:13 24-11-2025
© A. Krivonosov
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman disputes FT claims that Tim Cook will step down by mid-2026, citing no transition signs at Apple and spotlighting John Ternus as heir.
Tim Cook is not preparing to step down as Apple’s CEO in the next 18 months. After a recent Financial Times story suggested he could leave between January and June 2026, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman pushed back, describing that timeline as premature and inaccurate.
Gurman said he would be shocked if Cook exited by mid-2026, noting there are no signs inside Apple of a leadership transition. On the contrary, Cook remains deeply involved in shaping product rollouts, including the company’s broad push into AI. Taken together, the signals point to continuity at the top rather than a looming handover.
That doesn’t mean Apple isn’t planning ahead. Internally, the leading candidate to succeed Cook remains John Ternus, the senior vice president of hardware engineering. He oversees iPhone, Mac, and Vision Pro—and his remit has been steadily expanding.
The Financial Times also speculated that Apple could announce Cook’s departure before WWDC 2026. Gurman countered that the piece lacked directly informed sources and didn’t read like a deliberate, well-placed leak; in his view, the narrative doesn’t reflect reality. He also argued that Cook has earned the right to choose his own timing, and that after his tenure ends he would most likely stay on as chair of the board and continue to influence Apple’s strategy.